Dependent Origination, Middle Links: A Companion Note

I stressed that feeling tone and contact happen almost simultaneously in my OP… At least in ordinary consciousness. In refined states (i.e., Jhana) one can discern a micro-fraction of a second between the two. But we can treat them as occurring simultaneously for the most part. What you said doesn’t line up with your critique, the 5 aggregates have consciousness, feeling, and perception as simultaneous, yes. But form (which is the body - i.e., the base of contact) happens before them (or better said, as a basis for them). Consciousness, feeling, and perception cease at Nirodha Samapatti, but form remains. Form (and therefore, contact) only ends with the break up of the body and/or at death. So I’m not sure what the fuss is about.

As for the temporal point. I don’t see it. I’m simply stating that these things arise dependent on each other. Clinging has craving, feeling, contact, six senses, name/form, consciousness, formations, and ignorance as its conditions. Dukkha has all twelve links as its conditions. You can start anywhere you like in those links. But in the way they co-arise, to work with one factor is to work with all (I mentioned this near the end of my OP). It’s like dissasembling a teepee. Pull whichever pole you can get a grip on. The end result is the same, because if you pull one pole, the others will fall too, it’s how the structure is built. The starting point matters little once we’re in the midst of our work. And this is common throughout all of the Buddha’s teachings. To practice one aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is to practice them all, because they all depend on one another, you are simply taking one as a reference point to “ground” or “stabilise” your perspective as you begin. So while you point about temporality and/or structure is theoretically sound and I fully agree with it, in practice you have to start somewhere.

But then also in your critique you talk about the end point about uprooting the cause of dukkha which is ignorance. Ignorance of what? The Four Noble Truths. My post addressed ignorance by containing each of the elements of the four noble truths:

1. There is dukkha. My post addresses this by talking about recognising the fact that we suffer. Here are some pointers to help recognise dukkha as it arises in the context of the 3 links of D.O. I’m exploring.
2. Dukkha has a cause. My post addresses this by talking about 3 significant causes of dukkha in the chain of co-dependent arising. There are more, but I chose to focus on those 3 for the reasons stated in the OP. If one starts working skilfully, the cause of suffering starts eroding immediately.
3. Dukkha can end. My post addresses this too. You can do this. It is attainable. Have confidence your ability to act. Here are some techniques and pointers to help you.
4. Following the Noble Eightfold Path ends dukkha. There is right view in my post, which is grounded in the four noble truths. I’m sharing some wise views from my own practice which will help end suffering. I’m also encouraging perceptions and views in others that are wise and will help end suffering. There is right attitude in my post because I am sharing the attitude that anyone can do it if they work at it with some techniques and pointers I’m sharing, it is by no means definitive, but a launchpad to ignite further interest in people’s own investigation of their minds and the Dhamma. Right effort is here, which says we should prevent unwholesome states (dukkha-producing) from arising, and subdue them if they have arisen. While we should help wholesome (liberating-producing) states arise, and maintain them if they have arisen. Right mindfulness is here as I discuss the 4 foundations of mindfulness (body, feeling, mind, dhammas). And right concentration is mentioned, because I am helping people focus their attention to the relevant parts of their experience to help end suffering.

So, I’m certain I’ve addressed ignorance in my post, but I did not to it explicitly. However, all the relevant elements were there. Telling people that ignorance is the cause of dukkha is not a practical solution, because it is ungrounded and doesn’t give people the necessary frame of reference to work from. Nor is telling people that they have wrong view a practical solution. One must learn right view, which is what I am helping to do as well. By keeping things practical in my post I hoped to avoid this sort of theoretical nitpicking which only leads to more words being written and less practice being done. The Buddha was quite explicit in the fact that ignorance is also multifaceted (it is also co-dependently arising!) and thus does not stand by itself as an essence or entity in and of itself. It is empty, like everything else in the path. And therefore, it rests on conditions. I addressed those conditions explicitly in my post.

The problem comes when you try to relax or gladden yourself when you don’t want to endure an unpleasant arisen feeling.

Well, that’s the rub, no? That’s craving right there. “I don’t wanna” is aversion. So you work with a way to end that aversion as it arises. One could make the entire path out of this statement. The wanting is not a self. And gladdening is also not a self. However, one is nicer than the other. This is practicing Dhamma through discernment, we see that it is wiser to gladden than it is to stay wallowing in our dukkha of not wanting to endure an unpleasant feeling. This is not sensuality, the sensuality is believing that this sense contact we’re having is intrinsically unpleasant and therefore dissatisfying, which it is not. And it isn’t as simple as just gladdening the mind, it’s a process. We learn to recognise it, investigate it, release it, and then brighten the mind in response. That’s the path. Ending dukkha as it arises, which builds up the habit of ending it before it arises, to ending the causes so it’s no longer a concern. Because if we’re happy even in the face of unpleasantness, we are liberated from the mental fabrications and wrong view saying that unpleasantness requires aversion to solve (along with a whole other heap of causes/conditions).

Thanks for the chat, I think it’ll benefit a lot of people who dare to read through it all.

Be well and enjoy your practice